5 ways North Korea keeps getting stranger

By Tricia Escobedo, CNN

Updated 8:55 AM ET, Mon March 4, 2013

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with North Korea's first female fighter jet pilots in this undated photo released by the country's state media on Monday, June 22. He called the women "heroes of Korea" and "flowers of the sky."

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim stands on the snow-covered top of Mount Paektu in North Korea in a photo taken by North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun on April 18 and released the next day by South Korean news agency Yonhap. Kim scaled the country's highest mountain, North Korean state-run media reported, arriving at the summit to tell soldiers that the hike provides mental energy more powerful than nuclear weapons.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim Jong Un, center, poses with soldiers on the snow-covered top of Mount Paektu in an April 18 photo released by South Korean news agency Yonhap.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim visits the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, North Korea, on April 15 to celebrate the 103rd birth anniversary of his grandfather, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim inspects a drill for seizing an island at an undisclosed location in North Korea in an undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on February 21.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim speaks during a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released February 19 by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

A picture released by the North Korean Central News Agency shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appearing without his cane at an event with military commanders in Pyongyang on Tuesday, November 4. Kim, who recently disappeared from public view for about six weeks, had a cyst removed from his right ankle, a lawmaker told CNN.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim is seen walking with a cane in this image released Thursday, October 30, by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim sits in the pilot's seat of a fighter jet during the inspection.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

This undated photo, released Tuesday, October 14, by the KCNA, shows Kim inspecting a housing complex in Pyongyang, North Korea. International speculation about Kim went into overdrive after he failed to attend events on Friday, October 10, the 65th anniversary of the Workers' Party. He hadn't been seen in public since he reportedly attended a concert with his wife on September 3.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

A picture released by the KCNA shows Kim and his wife watching a performance by the Moranbong Band on Wednesday, September 3, in Pyongyang.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim tours a front-line military unit in this image released Wednesday, July 16, by the KCNA.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim poses for a photo as he oversees a tactical rocket-firing drill in June.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim watches a tactical rocket-firing drill in June.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

A North Korean soldier patrols the bank of the Yalu River, which separates the North Korean town of Sinuiju from the Chinese border town of Dandong, on Saturday, April 26.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

In this photo released Thursday, April 24, by the Korean Central News Agency, Kim smiles with female soldiers after inspecting a rocket-launching drill at an undisclosed location.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

A picture released Tuesday, March 18, by the KCNA shows Kim attending a shooting practice at a military academy in Pyongyang.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

A North Korean soldier uses binoculars on Thursday, February 6, to look at South Korea from the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

A North Korean soldier kicks a pole along the banks of the Yalu River on Tuesday, February 4.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

A photo released by the KCNA on Thursday, January 23, shows the North Korean leader inspecting an army unit during a winter drill.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim inspects the command of an army unit in this undated photo released Sunday, January 12, by the KCNA.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim visits an army unit in this undated photo.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim inspects a military factory in this undated picture released by the KCNA in May 2013.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim visits the Ministry of People's Security in 2013 as part of the country's May Day celebrations.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

A North Korean soldier, near Sinuiju, gestures to stop photographers from taking photos in April 2013.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

North Korean soldiers patrol near the Yalu River in April 2013.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim is briefed by his generals in this undated photo. On the wall is a map titled "Plan for the strategic forces to target mainland U.S."

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim works during a briefing in this undated photo.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

In this KCNA photo, Kim inspects naval drills at an undisclosed location on North Korea's east coast in March 2013.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim, with North Korean soldiers, makes his way to an observation post in March 2013.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim uses a pair of binoculars to look south from the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment, near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island, in March 2013.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim is greeted by a soldier's family as he inspects the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment in March 2013.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim is surrounded by soldiers during a visit to the Mu Islet Hero Defense Detachment, also near Taeyonphyong Island, in March 2013.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim arrives at Jangjae Islet by boat to meet with soldiers of the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment in March 2013.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Soldiers in the North Korean army train at an undisclosed location in March 2013.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

In a photo released by the official North Korean news agency in December 2012, Kim celebrates a rocket's launch with staff from the satellite control center in Pyongyang.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim, center, poses in this undated picture released by North Korea's official news agency in November 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim visits the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground, under construction in Pyongyang, in a photo released in July 2012 by the KCNA.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

A crowd watches as statues of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il are unveiled during a ceremony in Pyongyang in April 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

A North Korean soldier stands guard in front of an UNHA III rocket at the Tangachai-ri Space Center in April 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

In April 2012, Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket that broke apart and fell into the sea. Here, the UNHA III rocket is pictured on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

– A closer look at the UNHA III rocket on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

A military vehicle participates in a parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

North Korean soldiers relax at the end of an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Kim Jong Un applauds as he watches a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

A North Korean soldier stands on a balcony in Pyongyang in April 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

North Korean soldiers march during a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Soldiers board a bus outside a theater in Pyongyang in April 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

North Korean performers sit below a screen showing images of leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang in April 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

North Korean soldiers salute during a military parade in Pyongyang in April 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

North Korean soldiers listen to a speech during an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

Members of a North Korean military band gather following an official ceremony at the Kim Il Sung stadium in Pyongyang in April 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

North Korean military personnel watch a performance in Pyongyang in April 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

A North Korean controller is seen along the railway line between the Pyongyang and North Pyongan provinces in April 2012.

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Photos:Kim Jong Un and North Korea's military

A North Korean military honor guard stands at attention at Pyongyang's airport in May 2001.

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Story highlights

North Korea has declared the United States a "sworn enemy"

But recently, American dignitaries have been welcomed in Pyongyang

North Korea recently carried out a nuclear test that it called a new phase of confrontation

It seems North Korea's new leader Kim Jong Un is carrying on his father's strange tradition: mixing a fascination with American culture with a hatred of the United States.

Yet that hasn't stopped Pyongyang from welcoming a few dignitaries from this "sworn enemy" nation, including a top Google executive and a few basketball stars.

No one knows if it's all part of an organized effort to woo North Korea into diplomacy by appealing to its leader's interest in American culture. Yet one thing is for sure: This love-hate relationship has sparked some odd stories out of the Hermit Kingdom. Here's a look at some of the most recent ones we've come across:

Not only did the American basketball star -- known for his over-the-top publicity stunts -- visit North Korea, but he also was joined by three members of the famed Harlem Globetrotters, who played against North Korea's "Dream Team" (no surprise, the game ended in a tie). Rodman proclaimed Kim "a friend for life," and appeared courtside with the North Korean leader.

While many North Koreans might be more interested in having a heated home, Schmidt and his Google colleague Jared Cohen have advocated about the Internet's ability to empower citizens living under oppressive regimes.

3. Famous Americans apparently aren't the only ones heading to Pyongyang

In the wake of the Schmidt and Rodman visits, Bloomberg Businessweek looked at just how many Westerners are heading to North Korea for its closely monitored, government-run tours. Surprisingly, it found a nearly 20% increase in visits since 2011.

4. Get your North Korean education ... in Tokyo

The United States isn't the only outside country that has a love-hate relationship with North Korea. Until the end of World War II, Korea was a Japanese colony, and many Koreans were brought to Japan -- many against their will -- before Korea was divided between north and south. More recently, North Korea admitted to kidnapping Japanese citizens from Japanese soil in the 1970s and 1980s, something Tokyo has demanded more answers about.

Despite this tense history, Japan hosts a number of North Korean-funded schools -- complete with portraits of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung and previous leader Kim Jong Il on its walls. Students, who are mostly Japanese, say they are learning Korean culture and language, and laugh off suggestions that they're training to be spies.

5. Dreaming of annihilating the United States, to the tune of 'We Are The World'

The video -- set to the tune of "We Are The World," the 1985 song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie heralding world peace -- shows a North Korean man dreaming about an apparent missile attack on the United States. "Black smoke was billowing somewhere in America," the caption in Korean reads.